Customer Reviews (2)

Wished It Would Never End
In 1967, a woman thumbed through an English magazine, while getting her hair done in an American beauty parlor.By chance, she noticed an interview with actor Dirk Bogarde, and was amazed to realize that the home Mr. Bogarde was shown in, was the one she and her husband had lived in, prior to fleeing England in 1939. Plucking up her courage, she wrote a letter to Bogarde, identifying herself as a former owner of his circa 1200 home...and so began a fascinating relationship, conducted entirely by mail, between this Englishwoman, now residing and teaching in America, and the film actor."A Particular Friendship" is comprised of Mr. Bogarde's letters to Mrs. X., as she is identified.We are not privy to her letters, excepting a few lines here and there,but much can be inferred from responses and comments they elicit from DB.

The description I have just given you may seem a bit dry, but the book is far from it. Not only are his letters an incredibly personal, unsanitized time capsule that touches on every subject that weighed on the actor's mind, but also the mind of society in general.Throughout all of it,the reader follows the relationship developing between the two unlikely pen friends.Amidst descriptions of fans tearing the fly out of his trousers,during his days as a matinee idol, descriptions of British and Americans alike, weeping on the street after hearing of the assassination of Robert Kennedy, and his innermost conflicts on what to do with his own life, there is an ongoing sweet flirtation between the actor and the older woman.He saves her letters until he has finished all other correspondences, and takes them away to a room where he can read and enjoy them alone. Although in the introduction he claims that his desire was to give some comfort and amusement to a woman who was in failing health and seemed, to him, to be terribly lonely; ifTruth be told, he did not know, for some time, that Mrs. X was ill at all...I suspect she may not have knownherself...but certainly, having Dirk Bogarde tell you how much he likes to think of you, sitting on the chair across from him, with the fire roaring, and signing a letter, "Endless Love," would work wonders at distracting anyone!!!He reassures her in his letters, that the Dirk Bogarde she reads about in interviews is not the real him.That world is not his real world; his real world is the one he shares with her.

He shares everything fromhis household details to his disagreements with directors, and his unflinching observations, as he travels to such far flung locations as Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Tunis, Germany, Rome, Paris, and New York...many of these places standing on the brink of political upheaval.The prose was meant for her eyes alone, so there is much that might offend; but keep in mind this was written for a fellow Brit, and not for you or me.They never meet, never talk on the phone, and she never shares her photograph with Bogarde, but e daily sends her postcards, which he calls his flock of starlings, when she is in the hospital, and sends her copies of books he is reading, some of them containing roles he is considering.
This book is intensely personal, and reveals the uncertainties and worries that Bogarde lived with; his lack of satisfaction with his career, the lack of offers of work in England (he even quotes an English director, "If I hear Dirk Bogarde's name one more time, I am going to throw up!"), his dislike of working withHollywood types , and the uncertainty of his finances, present and future. When Jane Fonda was stumping for communism, he worriedabout England becoming a dissipated country that would welcome communism, a repressive statehe found so unbearable, when working on"The Fixer," in Czechoslovakia.

He tells all to Mrs. X...having nothing to gain and nothing to lose, when sharing his biting comments, anger and humor, with a woman who was not involved in films or the public life at all.Mrs. X served as Bogarde's sounding board and confessor, from 1967 until 1972; a period of time in which he went from receiving no offers in England, other than for a voice over for the Timber Industry, to moving to Europe and taking on roles like Aschenbach in, "Death in Venice."

Life is full of ironies, and as Mrs. X grows ill from a condition she never completely shares with Bogarde, he finds new life in Europe; taking on challenging roles and restoring a home and property in France. Mrs. X urges him to work on his grammar and punctuation, and to get serious about his writing, and he eventually sends three chapters to her,while she is abed, to amuse her. These chapters would later become part of his first memoir, "A Postillion Struck By Lightning."

Prior to this book, the only thing I had read by Bogarde was a novel called, "Voices In The Garden," which was published in the early 1980s.It had made a big impression on me, at the time, and I recently purchased it on Amazon, to enjoy it, all over again.It was this reading that moved me to order this title...just by chance, but it was truly a serendipitous choice.I am convinced that the character of Cuckoo, in "Voices In The Garden," was inspired by Mrs. X, and that the young man, Marcus, was based, at least in part, onDirk Bogarde himself.I won't say too much more, since I wouldn't want to spoil the reading experience for anyone who might want to read these two books, suffice to say that Cuckoo is an older woman who is still attractive, desirable,and elegant, and who has quite charmed Marcus, who has pulled her out of the sea, when he comes upon her, trying to drown herself.No doubt the stones in Cuckoo's pockets were inspired by Bogarde's childhood memories of seeing Virginia Woolf walking around town, picking wild flowers, and quite oblivious to one and all.He and the other children believed her to be a witch. Like I said, this book is anything but dry.Fascinating writing, fascinating man, and a mysterious woman who I will always wish I knew more about. Definitely recommended.

Dirk Bogarde Actor and Author
I have seen all Dirk Bogarde's movies and read his biograthy
and every book he has written. They are wonerfully written
and a joy to read. ... Read more

Product Description
When Dirk Bogarde returned from France to live in England, the then Literary Editor of the Daily Telegraph invited him to review some books for the newspaper.Over the next eight years, Bogarde wrote much of the criticism, essays, obituaries, fragments of autobiography and appreciations which are collected in this volume. ... Read more

Product Description
Set in one of the last great villas of the 1920s on Cape Ferrat, in cosmopolitan London, and in the home of a landed German family within the shadow of the wall. The novel is a human comedy, as well as a compassionate story of mature and immature love. ... Read more

Product Description
The sixth volume of autobiography from this actor following A POSTILLION STRUCK BY LIGHTENING, SNAKES AND LADDERS, AN ORDERLY MAN, BACKCLOTH and GREAT MEADOW, bringing the story of his life to the present. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Olives, Sheep, and Nicotiana
How to write a domestic horror story and gardening book in one. Terror so subtle it could happen to you, olives so ripe you'll be picking in no time:

Dirk has a lovely garden. He also likes trees. A lot. There's a guy who gets his legs chopped off by accident, then there's Dirk's conscience. Is he really responsible for so much death? He thinks he is. Coming in with his black cloak and scythe, Monsieur Bogarde lives with his so-called 'agent' who gets colon cancer and alzhimer's (is this Dirk's doing?). They plant things and pick olives and live in France, then they don't plant things and pick their noses and live in England. But death cannot be escaped. Dirk has a stroke, his 'agent' drops dead, and they all live happily ever after. Based on a true story.

A fascinating and entertaining read
This is a lovely book, a really honest and heartfelt description of aphase in Dirk Bogarde's life that was both wonderfully happy and crushinglysad.It could be a very depressing book, but somehow it reads delightully. As an aside it is also a lovely insight into the delights of Provence, sowell portrayed by Peter Mayle in his Provence trilogy.I highly recommendit.

An extremely intelligent, heartfelt account of a man's life
Mr. Bogarde has written a book that is so personal and engaging, the reader feels as though he is peeking into a private diary.Each sentence is exact and necessary.There is no flowery narrative, no swanking, no attempt to remind us that he is a film star.It is a simply written, glowing example of a man's desire to share a deeply private part of his life and of himself.Any reader who has enjoyed Mr. Bogarde's prior works will not be disappointed. (Please note his name is DIRK, not Dick) ... Read more

Product Description
This is the third in the series of Dirk Bogarde's autobiographies, seeing the author retreating to his house in Provence after gruelling work on "Death in Venice" is completed. But before it could provide the sanctuary he sought, he had some problems to overcome. ... Read more

Product Description
In 1970 Dirk Bogarde retired from acting and turned towards a quieter, more contemplative, more settled way of life.He both dreaded and yearned for a change from the preceding 20 years of "continual motion."

Bogarde sought "a place of my own" and found it in a dilapidated farmhouse in the south of France.

He writes eloquently of the dual struggle he faced--first dealing with years of neglect to the house and the land; second, with the awful fear that he had made a frightful error.Finally, we share his success in creating a real home, a sanctuary of simplicity and quiet ease where he intends to stay for good.

"Bogarde's rare talent for giving resonance to both the small and large moments of life makes this a singularly rich and satisfying memoir." (Publisher's Source) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A charming series of essays, but hardly revealing
Charming raconeteur Bogarde compiled this verbose series of essays about his "orderly" life straddling Europe and the Unites States...country gentleman and film star.He recounts incidents with wit and candor, such as the decline and deaths of his elderly parents and the struggles in making & marketing his film "The Night Porter."And yet, there is strangely (and disappointingly) very little of the man, himself, revealed in any of this.Other than the fact that he seems alternately laconic and easily annoyed, the reader is never given a sense of what Bogarde the man is really all about.This is certainly a book you CAN put down and pick up again later.I suspect a closer look at the real Dirk Bogarde can be found in his excellent film, "Despair." ... Read more

Product Description
William Caldicott is a writer, married with two children, and about to start divorce proceedings. The complications in his life are intensified when a brief and rather cryptic letter arrives from his younger brother, James. The letter speaks of James' intention to disappear. ... Read more

Product Description
Dirk Bogarde continues his autobiography, begun in "A Postillion Struck by Lightning". The book begins with the trials of an army training camp at Catterick and covers his career to the point where he starred in the film "Death in Venice". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

An uncertain childhood
This book is the first part of an autobiographical trilogy and deals with Dirk Bogards childhood up to the age of 18. He and his sister spent the pre war years of the late 30's in an idyllic setting where everything was safe and gentle.Things changed however when he was sent to school in a harsh and unforgiving Glasgow to "whip him into shape".Then followed a few years where he tried to get into the theatre and finally to his call up to an Army camp. Everything rings perfectly truly and I can't wait to start book 2 ,"Snakes and Ladders".

DIRK BOGARDE'S ABUNDANT LIGHT
What can I say? Bogarde's a genius, and this book, like all his others, is evidence of that fact. They broke the mold when they made the Dirkster, and the world is a better place for it! His light is so bright it'll blind you if you stare directly at it, just like the sun. Approach with eyes averted, as if humbly bowing down to the gods.

Absolutely wonderful.Bogarde was an exceptional writer.
The first book I had ever read by Dirk Bogarde was AN ORDINARY MAN.I couldn't wait to read the rest of his books and now have a fairly complete collection.A POSTILLION STRUCK BY LIGHTNING is one the best, full ofhumor, insight into human frailities, and pure craftsmanship.I'drecommend it to everyone.When I first read AN ORDINARY MAN I wrote him afan letter addressed to his publisher.Remarkably, they passed the letteron to him and I received the most charming response. We carried on acorrespondence right up to the time he became ill.It was so sad to learnof his death.

A poetic outlook on a hard life
In my opinion, Sir Bogarde is the most fascinating actor ever to grace the screen. His talent as an author is no less fascinating. He describes his early childhood with all the beauty and gentleness of a fairytale , accompanied by sweet , nostalgic sketches. As he proceeds , he describes the hardships he encountered later on with amazing frankness and clarity ,particularly a heartwrenching day of his life when he was brutally raped by a sadistic child molester. There is much strength , beauty , humour and sadness inside this amazing man. It must be an enriching experience to know him personally. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a sequel to "Jericho". ... Read more

Product Description
In the course of a distinguished writing career that began with his first volume of autobiography, Dirk Bogarde has written a substantial amount of journalism. These are now brought together in one volume by the book editor of the "Sunday Telegraph", John Coldstream. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Luvvies like bubbles on a river
This book is about half biographical fragments arranged loosely by topic - the Second World War and his films naturally loom largest. And about half reviews. There is also - something I hadn't noticed until Amazon pointed this out- an introductory piece on the horrors of a severe stroke. It's well-written, but in my view - I hate to take a dissenting view - reveals a man who understandably is both narcissistic and superficial. His reviews are luvvy material - Russell Harty, to whom he owed his publishing career, after being allowed to reminisce for forty minutes on TV; Brigitte Bardot; Charlotte Rampling; Peter Ustinov. Antony (Anthony?) Sher. And related material - Peter Mayle on Provence; Joseph Losey; how to record an audiobook; Swiss Family Robinson; Visconti's wheelchair bound life after a stroke; the Times Lit Supplement. His wartime experience was, he says, interpreting aerial photographs - judging by an advert in this (Penguin) edition his other books deal with this theme in greater detail. He reviewed seven World War 2 related books (reviews dated 1988 and 1991 in the Daily Telegraph) and is innocently free from any trace of revisionism, though he made a couple more articles on the theme of 200 hostile letters about his reviews. What would he have done if he hadn't been good looking in his youth? He reminds me of many women who describe themselves as 'artistic' as a default position to hide something of a chasm of their awareness, in the way kittens whose eyelids are sewn up were found to never develop full sight. ... Read more

Product Description
Bogarde's debut novel, set in 1945, concerns the period after the war as the British Army attempts to carry out a caretaking operation on an island seething with revolt following the Japanese occupation. A film star of the 1950s and 1960s, Bogarde has also written four volumes of autobiography. ... Read more

Product Description
Set amidst the gaudy wastes of Los Angeles, this is a savage, funny and romantic story about the power of Hugo Arlington, a celebrated writer, to destroy people, even from beyond the grave. ... Read more